The Anglican Diocese of Waiapu commissioned Opus Architecture for this project

The project was to create a new tenancy on the upper floor of a Category 1 heritage building in the Napier CBD.

The tenancy is for Van Arts & Co, a graphics and marketing design consultancy. The stair to the first floor is contemporary, in distinct contrast to the heritage architecture nearby. It has an elegant steel skeleton, with a terracotta-clad back wall and extensive frameless glazing.

The judges said: "This contemporary staircase is a cleanly articulated structure with crisply detailed glass, steel and terracotta block. A foil to the mass of the adjacent cathedral, it also picks up on some of that building's proportions while connecting the fountain green in front of the cathedral and the courtyard trees to the solid interior of the tenancy above. The tenancy itself has a simple aesthetic which complements the rhythm of the existing windows on the cathedral green side.”